Ala. House Panel Votes To Allow Hiring Officers

An Alabama House panel has voted to allow the hiring of trained resource officers to provide security in schools.

Credit Trent Moore/The Cullman Times

An Alabama House committee has passed a bill that will allow school systems to hire trained resource officers to provide security in their schools and for the school system to pay for the cost of training and hiring the officers.

The director of Alabama's Department of Homeland Security, Spencer Collier, said it's a way of insuring that Alabama student are safe when at school.

"To get people trained as police officers is the best way to make sure schools are safe," Collier said.

The House Education Policy Committee voted Tuesday to pass the legislation to allow school systems to hire the security personnel with the school system paying the cost.

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Republican leadership in the Alabama Legislature has offered proposals to make Alabama public schools safer.

The proposals made by Republican legislators at a State House news conference Tuesday includes giving schools permission and more money to hire trained resource officers to provide security. The proposals include one by Republican Rep. Allen Treadaway of Morris to issue up to $50 million in bonds for schools to buy necessary equipment and make renovations so public schools can secure all entrances.